The tablets forever have been that misunderstood element of the market. Despite its success, there are many people who consider this intermediate point between the smartphone and computer as a useless device. In the same way, there are also quite a few people who consider the tablet to be the portable device with the best balance.
In general, in the tablet market there are three dominant operating systems, which are Windows, iOS and Android. Beyond what many users think, none of the three systems is clearly superior to the others, and today we will make a small analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of each system.
What can we think if we search on the Internet
Entering a little more in the world of tablets, on the Internet We can find how millions of users think about their products, repeating many times these three statements:
- The iPad is better because it has applications optimized for tablets.
- Android has few applications for tablets.
- Windows tablets are more productive because you have PC programs.
On some occasions these mantras have not only had the misfortune of finding them on the Internet, but they have made the leap to the real world. In the end, lThe community ends up being divided into their own tastes for comments that sometimes tend to be exaggerated.
As I already mentioned when HTC ceased production of the Nexus 9, my own tablet came to suffer a breakdown, so I carefully analyzed my alternatives. Repeat with Android? Move to the dark side of iOS? Be more productive with Windows? These are the conclusions I've reached, with the strengths and weaknesses of each ecosystem.
Is Android always inferior in tablets?
The first guest to our analysis is none other than Android, which for many is our favorite mobile system. Since their early years, Google guys have wanted to enter the tablet market with various experiments. At first we only had elongated phones, while Android 3.0 Honeycomb arrived soon with the Motorola Xoom. Later Ice Cream Sandwich would unify the mobile and tablet interfaces, excellent products would arrive and Lollipop would change everything.
When many people talk about Android tablets, they seem to keep referring to those elongated phones, when the reality is very different. Android has progressed a lot in tablets, and although it is still far from perfection, it has shown that it is the way to go.
Is it true that in Android there are fewer applications for tablets than on iPad? Answering the question quickly, yes, although with a but. Should we really care so much about this supposed absence of optimized tablet applications?
an app optimized for tablet is one that takes better advantage of the space of a large screen. In my day to day I have listed the ones that for me are the 22 applications that I use daily to see if I really cared so much about the absence of optimized applications.
The best Android apps for tablets
We collect the best applications for android tablet with which to exploit its full potential.
The list of applications is as follows:
Udemy, Adobe Reader, Manga Reader, Telegram, Animedroid, Trello, Google Drive, Google Photos, Console Emulators, Games, Netflix, Tumblr, Talon for Android, DroidEdit Pro, YouTube, Bank, Teamspeak 3, OneNote, Microsoft Word, Gmail , Windows Remote, Google Calendar, Wolfram Alpha.
In my personal aspect, virtually all applications are perfectly adapted to tablets, where we can except the console emulators (which does not matter much since once we open the game we play it in full screen), Teamspeak 3 (which being audio and always being in the background also does not matter) and Wolfram Alpha (this maybe it matters a little more).
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It is important to note that not all people are going to make exactly the same use of the tablet as I do, but it serves to get an idea about the usefulness of an Android tablet. If you plan to use the tablet for multimedia content consumption, to study and open books and pdf or to play, do not be afraid with Android.
Another great strength of Android is versatility as a platform. In Android there are many tablets, and in each price range we will have an ideal tablet. For € 60 we have the Amazon Kindle Fire, in the range of € 100-300 we have products such as Asus Zenpad, Galaxy Tab A or the incredible Nvidia Shield K1, and in the high range we can enjoy products such as the Xperia Tablet Z4 , the Galaxy Tab S2 and the almighty Google Pixel C.
Similarly, among the weak points we find the excess of versatility. Because yes, we have mentioned that there are many good tablets, but for every good tablet there are another ten that are not worth it. If you are going to buy an Android tablet we recommend you choose carefully, because in the end many end up making the mistake of blaming Android for their bad choice.
The iPad is king, but let's not motivate ourselves
In 2010 Apple introduced the iPad, anticipating what they would call as it was post-PC. From the beginning, the iPad was a product with a well-defined hardware and software ecosystem. Year after year, Apple has continued to refine its flagship product, without neglecting its philosophy. A tablet system must have applications designed for tablets, and reasonable autonomy is 10 hours of screen.
Generation after generation they have fulfilled it, and for this reason, the iPad is the king of the tablet market. Apple offers 3 screen sizes in a closed ecosystem, where according to our needs (or our portfolio) we will have an ideal product that will not fail. Generation after generation improve your product and keep the bar of autonomy at the top, and this is a guarantee that is not always met in Android.
Trying to dismantle the myth of the applications, we also answer yes. ANDl iPad has more and better applications for tablets on average, but not all of them will help us. In regards to image editing, the iPad is quite far from Android, the same for video and music editing, applications for doctors, for architects and etc. If you work in a sector where there are good applications for iPad, the iPad will be a superior device, but in case your use is average, it will really give you a little bit, because as we have already mentioned, good applications on Android do not have much to envy to the iPad.
On the other hand, the iPad also has its lacks, both in hardware and software. It should be noted that iOS usually offers about five years of updates on average for each device, but it is important to note that they are updates half. We will not always receive all the features, and from the third year the updates make our device feel older (when Android is usually the other way around).
In the end, the iPad is the king of tablets for its reliability, support and guarantees, but the kings are human, and humans make mistakes. All the reliability that Apple gets comes from a rigorous control that does not always make us feel comfortable. A very silly example is found in emulators, where on Android I can turn my tablet into a very easy retro console. On iPad it is also possible, but the result is much less satisfactory.
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We cannot connect any peripheral or expand the storage, which although it may seem that microSDs are dying, of the 100 best-selling computer products on Amazon, more than half are cards, and in the end if we go by train or bus on very long journeys, than less than having multimedia content to mansalva on my 64GB microSD card at a Very affordable price.
Microsoft, Surface, and Windows tablets
The third giant in discord is none other than Microsoft. Those of Redmond arrived late to the party with two products, the Microsoft Surface and Microsoft Surface Pro. While the first was a little more than useless device with a very small version of Windows, the surface Pro promised to become the true device to lead the post-PC era.
Specifically it arrived in early 2013, at a time when Android was dying on tablets and Apple already had the domain. The first two generations did not cause much stir, and it was not until the third version pro Microsoft dictated the way forward. The first generations stood out for two things, its keyboard cover and precision pencil, which next to the 12-inch screen of the third model marked a new market, forcing Apple to walk behind them.
Microsoft's surfaces include Windows 8 and 10, the modern versions of the Microsoft operating system that combines the best of two times. First of all we have all the PC software that has existed in the history of Windows, all our Steam games, everything we already know. And on the other hand we have the applications, because yes, Windows has applications, and they are adapted to the tablet format.
Windows tablets are like that very coiled uncle who thought you were the best as a child, you think he is still the best, but that although he tries to become modern he is still anchored to an old era. Developers have a hard time creating applications for Windows for a very important factor, which is that who acquires a tablet with Windows does it for that old software that he already knows and loves, although he is not well adapted.
I tried to recreate how my day to day would be on Android tablet using Windows, and although at first I thought it would be my ideal choice, In the end I have become disenchantedor with the idea quite a lot, and everything has to do with the software.
To use the computer software, the computer already exists, and using a Windows tablet for an Android or iPad tablet user is not convenient. Most applications that we use on a daily basis have their equivalent through the browser, but is that being in the browser all the time is not comfortable, much less when the tablet has a high resolution screen, where Windows is not that it scales too well.
On the other hand, another defect that reach Windows tablets is autonomy. We said that in general terms the battery of the iPad is excellent, and that not every time we will find a rival at the height in Android (although there are), but is that in Windows the matter is even worse. Most tablets with Windows usually have a lower autonomy, since we find a hardware that consumes more and a system that spends too much energy at rest.
On the other hand, Windows has the same advantage in peripherals as Android, and it is that in any device we can connect any keyboard and mouse, any pen drive, microSD card or control without worries. It is also a robust and mature system, where veterancy is noted. Using Photoshop with the surface pro 3/4 pencil is wonderful For those who make good use of it, although for this we will have to pay at least 800 euros. If you are looking for an affordable tablet you will see that the software allows you to do everything, but the hardware does not allow you to do anything.
The hybrid tablets: The best of two worlds without highlighting anything
Looking for heiress for my Nexus 9 I have encountered all kinds of devices, and operating systems. I have thoroughly analyzed all the alternatives and have concluded that in every myth there is part of the truth. The iPad is the best tablet until you want to do something that Apple does not likeAndroid does have many applications for tablet, but in professional use it falls shorter, and although at first I was in love with Windows, I have more and more doubts about whether it is a wonder or disgust.
And, well, the last turn of word is China, with a type of tablet that unless a miracle happens we will never see here. These are the increasingly popular tablets with dual boot, and explaining it will not take me long. Basically it consists of putting an Intel Atom X5 with 2-4GB of RAM and 32-64GB of storage, microSD and USB support. This hardware set includes Android and Windows installed by default, and allows us to change the system very easily.
They really are one of the best options, since we have Android with its virtues, and when we have to use something more demanding we can change to Windows. That we get fed up with such a sophisticated system? We return to Android. All this may seem very beautiful, but it also has its drawbacks.
For the issue of licenses, patents and brand competitiveness, we will never see any reputable brand like Samsung, LG or Asus launch such a device (unless a miracle occurs), so in this type of tablets only We will see Chinese companies.
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Nor is it a major problem, since these tablets are getting better, but the problem that they are only sold in China is that if you need a stable product and with guarantees, Chinese tablets carry their risks. In the same way, the part of the software that corresponds to Windows receives the updates from Microsoft, but in Android you better like the version that the device brings from the factory.
So what tablet should I buy? The choice will always be complicated, because there are so many hardware and software ecosystems that surely our ideal tablet is not the same as our neighbor's ideal tablet, from our mother or even from our boss. Do not get carried away by Internet talk, do not be convinced by that clerk who wants to sneak that tablet that he does not know. Try, and judge yourself, and command to silence those who tell you that you did wrong, because each person is unique.
